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The Tory candidate Andy Street hinted he would encourage the government to move public sector workers to the site, where as the Green candidate James Burn said he would push for Channel 4 to move to the location.

Labour’s Sion Simon failed to address the problem in detail, choosing to issue a short two-line statement from a “campaign spokesman”.

UKIP’s Pete Durnell said the money wasn’t available to support the project, and the Lib Dem candidate Beverley Nielsen said she would like to see the project become a centre for education or high tech manufacturing.

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Andy Street, Conservative

“Friargate represents an important opportunity for the city of Coventry but clearly it’s important that we make sure it is properly promoted to investors regionally, nationally and internationally.”

He added: “I will leave no stone unturned – not just in terms of making sure we’re targeting private sector businesses but also making the case to “government for public sector relocations.

“Coventry is not only brilliantly located but Friargate is particularly so, given the location close to the railway, we simply must capitalise on this as a platform for growth in the city.

“Given the Combined Authority helped to fund this development, it’s particularly important we make it work and then start to look at the potential for the second tower. I am confident once the development has traction, we will achieve that.”

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Beverley Nielsen, Liberal Democrats

“Encouraging each city in the region to develop its own distinctive identity and strengths will be one way that the mayor can help ensure that we are not all competing against each other.

“Coventry has a strong high tech and manufacturing cluster, a distinguished design and innovation track record allied with its visitor economy, a growing retail offer and is a world class educational destination linked with its reputation as a city promoting peace worldwide - all positioning it very well as a cultural capital attracting more visitors today than Cheltenham.

“Developments such as Friargate should, ideally, help to position Coventry promoting this clear message about its unique offer.”

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Peter Durnell, UKIP

“The £8bn which is talked about as being ‘a budget for the new mayor’, is actually only £1bn, and it’s spread over the next thirty years.

“As far as I can make out the other £7bn is ‘presumed investment’ which will be brought in.”

He added: “I think the Friargate situation indicates that this presumption is just that, highly presumptuous in the extreme.

“The WMCA is spending its whole time, and huge amounts of taxpayers’ money, developing grandiose plans.

“Most of which are almost certain ‘never to see the light of day’, because there is simply no money available to progress them.

“If anyone doubted that the West Midlands Combined Authority, and in particular its obsession with HS2, is in great danger of being ‘all about Birmingham’, I would suggest this highlights the fact very well.

“I will do my very best if elected to ensure this is not the case, but I’m not going to pretend it will be easy.

“What can the mayor do about this? The truth is, probably not a great deal, whoever it is.”